Buletinul Ştiinţific al Universităţii “Politehnica” din Timisoara, ROMÂNIA
Seria CHIMIE ŞI INGINERIA MEDIULUI
Chem. Bull. "POLITEHNICA" Univ. (Timişoara)
Volume 53(67), 1-2, 2008
Analysis of the Essential Oils from Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L) and
from Peppermint (Mentha piperita L)
M. Sebeşan, A. Cărăban
University of Oradea, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Oradea, Universitatii 1, Romania
Author for correspondence: Mioara Sebeşan , e-mail: msebesan@uoradea.ro
Abstract: Peppermint oil and thyme oil is obtained by steam distillation from the fresh overground parts of flowering
plant of Mentha piperita L and Thymus vulgaris L. For essential oil obtained, were determined the chemical property.
Thyme oil and peppermint oil were analyzed using the chromatography before and after microorganisms absorptions.
Essential oils is used in different pharmaceutical products and these have antimicrobial activity.
Keywords: essential oils, chromatography, antimicrobial activity
1. Introduction
Essential oils are known to possess antimicrobial
activity. Compounds isolated from this plants presents the
biological activity, eliminating pathogenic microorganisms
because of the resistance that many microorganisms have
built up to antibiotics.
Essential oils produced by plants have been
traditionally used for respiratory tract infections, and are
used nowadays as ethical medicines for colds. In the
medicinal field, inhalation therapy of essential oils has been
used to treat acute and chronic bronchitis and acute
sinusitis. Inhalation of vapours of essential oils augmented
the output of respiratory tract fluid, maintained the
ventilation and drainage of the sinuses, had an antiinflammatory effect on the trachea and reduced asthma.
In contrast to antibiotics, essential oils are highly
volatile at room temperature. It has already been shown that
the antimicrobial activity of volatile compounds results
from the combined effect of direct vapour absorption on
microorganisms and indirect effect through the medium
that absorbed the vapour. A phenomenon that occurred
predominantly in the gaseous state but was not marked in
the solution phase was the spontaneous degradation of
unstable constituents by air.
In this paper was determined the chemical composition
of the essential oil of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L) and of
peppermint (Mentha piperita L), examining them by
chromatography. We analysed the results from GC
analysis before and after microorganisms absorptions.
steam distillation. Peppermint oil is obtained by steam
distillation from the fresh overground parts of the flowering
plant of Mentha x piperita L.
The essentials oils from thyme(Thymus vulgaris L)
and peppermint (Mentha piperita L) were analysed using a
chromatograph HPLC-ABLE & JASCO PU – 1580,
Injector – manual –Rhetodyne, Detector – Jasco-1575,
Procesing data – Borwing, Column: -l= 100 mm, d=4.6
mm, Stationary phase -Nucleosil100, C18, 5µ. Flow:
1ml/min, injection volume: 20µl, temperature: ambient,
elution type: isocratic, wavelength: 237 nm. Before the
vapour therapy the essential oils have the chromatograms
presented in figure 1 and figure 2.
2. Experimental data
The essential oils of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.)
and of peppermint (Mentha piperita L) were obtanined by
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Figure 1. The chromatogram for thyme oil (Thymus vulgaris L)
before microorganisms absorptions
1-terpinen-4-0l; 2-γ-terpinene; 3-limonene; 4-α-pinene;
5-β-pinen; 6-myrcene; 7-thymol; 8-carvacrol; 9- linalol
Chem. Bull. "POLITEHNICA" Univ. (Timişoara)
Volume 53(67), 1-2, 2008
Figure 2. The chromatogram for peppermint oil (Mentha
piperita L) before microorganisms absorptions
Figure 4. The chromatogram for peppermint oil (Mentha
piperita L) after microorganisms absorptions
1-menthol; 2- limonene; 3- cineole; 4. menthone;
5- isomenthone; 6-menthyl acetate; 7-carvone.
1-menthol; 2- limonene; 3- cineole;
4. menthone; 5- isomenthone; 6-menthyl acetate;
7-carvone; 8-carvomenthol ; 9- pulegone.
C-analyses of thyme essential oils identified 9
constituents, representing the 80.0% of the total oil. The
main components of thyme essential oil were, terpinen-4-0l
γ-terpinene, α-pinene, β-pinen, limonene, myrcene, thymol,
linalol and carvacrol. The essential oil of thyme was
characterized containing: terpinen-α-ol, γ–terpinene,
myrcene, p-cymene, limonene, thymol, carvacrol.
The essential oil of peppermint contains: menthol,
cineole, menthone, isomenthone, menthyl acetate,
limonene,carvone.
After the vapour therapy
we examined to
chromatograph the essential oils. After absorption the
microorganisms the essential oils have the chromatograms
presented in figure 3 and figure 4.
Figure 3. The chromatogram for thyme (Thymus vulgaris L)
oil after microorganisms absorptions
1-terpinen-4-0l; 2-γ-terpinene; 3-limonene; 4-α-pinene;
5-β-pinen; 6-myrcene;7-myrcenol; 8-thymol; 9-sobrerol;
10-carveol; 11-carvacrol; 12-menthanthreol.
After
absorption
the
microorganisms,
the
chromatogram show as, the essential oil of thyme has
contained: of terpinen-4-0l, γ-terpinene, limonene, αpinene, β-pinen, myrcen, myrcenol, thymol, sobrerol,
carveol, carvacrol and menthanthreol.
The essential oil of peppermint, after the vapour
therapy have content: menthone, isomenthone, menthyl
acetate, carvone, carvomenthol, pulegone, menthol,
limonene and cineole.
3. Results and discussions
The essential oils from thyme and peppermint have
antimicrobial activity and antioxidant properties. A
phenomenon that occurred predominantly in the vapour
therapy was the spontaneous degradation of unstable
constituents. On the other hand, formation of oxygenated
products of the constituents from essential oils occurred in
absorption the microorganisms. The antibacterial activity of
the oxygenated products of limonene and pinene is
considerable and terpene alcohols possess more activity
than the parent hydrocarbons, implying that they
contributed significantly to the bioactivity. Analysing the
chromatograms for essential oils after microorganisms
absorptions is noticed as, oxidation or oxido-reduction of
aldehydes and unsaturated bonds, and rearrangement of
linkage were phenomenon that occurred. Oxidation of dlimonene and -pinene in air is already recognized.
Thymol, a phenolic constituent of thyme oil have the
biological activity comparable to that of cinnamaldehyde.
Menthol, terpinen-4-ol and linalool showed moderate
activity. Thus, carvacrol and thymol, which are very stable,
moderately soluble in water and of low volatility, were
accumulated into the agar layer in greater amounts.
Antimicrobial action of essential oils to gaseous contact
with the microorganisms is most efficient when exposed at
big vapour concentration for a short time.
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Chem. Bull. "POLITEHNICA" Univ. (Timişoara)
Volume 53(67), 1-2, 2008
The chemical structures of oxidation products was
presented in figure 5.
Carveol
Sobreol
4. Conclusions
A major components of thyme oil were: terpinen-4-0l
γ-terpinene, α-pinene, β-pinen, limonene, myrcene, thymol,
linalol and carvacrol, but a major contributor for the
bioactivity was assumed to be -terpineol. A similar
major
situation was seen for peppermint oil. The
constituents for peppermint oil was p-menthone and
menthol. They contributes significantly to the antibacterial
activity. Menthol, terpinen- -ol and linalool showed
moderate activity to contact with the microorganisms. In
the medicinal field, inhalation therapy of essential oils has
been used to treat acute and chronic bronchitis and acute
sinusitis. Inhalation of vapours of essential oils augmented
the output of respiratory tract fluid, maintained the
ventilation and drainage of the sinuses, had an antiinflammatory effect on the trachea and reduced asthma.
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Figure 5. Oxidation products after vapour therapy of essential oils
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